Framingham man charged with whipping overheated dogs

A Framingham man forced two dogs to pull a cart full of cinder blocks and cement in extreme heat, whipping the dogs if they slowed down, our news partners at the MetroWest Daily News reported.

One of Richard Capalucci's dogs, a small Jack Russell terrier named Dolly, kept collapsing on Wednesday in exhaustion and he would whip the animal, prosecutor Rachel Irving said during Capalucci's Framingham District Court arraignment.

Police went to Concord Street around 6:15 p.m. for a report of a man whipping dogs with a rope. When they arrived, they found that Capalucci had tied Dolly and a German shepherd mix named Egypt to a shopping cart that was full of cinder blocks and a bag of cement, the prosecutor said.

"One dog was observed to collapse several times due to the extreme heat," said Irving. "This individual who is in the courtroom today (Capalucci) was then seen taking a rope and whipping the dog until it got up again."

According to the National Weather Service, it was 93 degrees around 6 p.m. in MetroWest.

Police took the two dogs from Capalucci. Irving said an animal control officer saw Capalucci the day before with the dogs pulling the shopping cart, but not whipping them, and they warned him not to do it again.

"The defendant said he was trying to teach them how to walk on the street," said Irving. "These animals had no water. They were panting heavily and they were in great distress."

Irving asked Judge Martine Carroll to hold Capalucci on $1,000 bail. She said she was planning on asking for higher bail, but Capalucci agreed to surrender all rights to Dolly and Egypt, so she asked for less.

Capalucci's lawyer, Sanford Furman, argued for $500 bail. He said his client lived within walking distance of the court, and was not a flight risk.

Carroll set Capalucci's bail at $500. As a condition of his release, Capalucci is banned from owning any domesticated animal other than the one homing pigeon he currently owns, Carroll said.

Capalucci is due back in court on Sept. 5.

Framingham Animal Control Officer Kathy MacKenzie she said the two dogs, which are both females and approximately 1 to 2 years old, are much better than they were on Wednesday.

"They're happy to be in a cool environment," she said.

MacKenzie said the two dogs will go to the vet to be spayed and get all of their vaccinations. After that, they will be available for adoption at the Medfield Animal Shelter.

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